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Blessings Overflowing

Faith~Family~Creativity

June 12, 2014 By Jackie 2 Comments

In the Garden: What a Difference a Week Makes

In last week’s garden update I thought our garden had grown so much since the previous week’s update.

However, when we got home from a 4 day vacation yesterday afternoon I couldn’t believe how much more our garden had grown.

Garden Update 6-12-14

I had watered the garden on Saturday and then we had rain a couple of days so that really helped. I think the other thing that made a difference is that I had added a manure/compost mix around each of our plants. Yay, for natural fertilizers! 🙂

Zucchini 6-12-14

It shouldn’t be too many more weeks until our zucchini plants start producing zucchini. We can’t wait because we love to eat zucchini in a variety of ways. Here are 10 of our favorite zucchini recipes.

Potato Towers 6-12-14

Before we went on vacation I had to add more straw and soil to our potato towers. I will probably add more straw and soil this next week and then it will just be a matter of watering and waiting.

Tomatoes 6-12-14

I really need to get out to the garden in the next few days and stake up our tomatoes with strips of old pantyhose. They are starting to vine all over the place now.

Sugar Snap Peas 6-12-14

The sugar snap peas are vining nicely up the tomato cage I added string to. Some of the plants are starting to flower. Since I have never grown peas before I have no idea how long it will be until the peas will start growing and be ready to harvest.

Cucumbers & Peppers 6-12-14

The cucumbers are finally starting to grow. I am hopeful they will vine up the fence soon.

Green Beans & Corn 6-12-14

The green beans and corn are looking great this week. We planted a second row of corn last week so that we will hopefully get to enjoy eating corn on the cob for longer since it won’t all be ready at the same time.

Marigolds & Onions 6-12-14

The marigolds in our cinder block planters are filling in nicely and the onions are really growing well, too.

Broccoli & Cabbage 6-12-14

I harvested broccoli last week and ended up freezing about a gallon.The plants should produce more heads before they are done for the season.

If you have more broccoli than you can eat and want to freeze it, here’s how I freeze broccoli.

That about does it for this week’s garden update. How is your garden growing this week?

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Filed Under: Gardening & Canning

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jackiesblessings

This little ray of sunshine turned ten years old t This little ray of sunshine turned ten years old today. Janna loves laughing, learning, writing, singing, nature, animals, school, people...just about everything really. 🙂  Janna has been a true joy, and I am so thankful God has allowed me to be her mama. 

While I’m a little sad that none of my kids are “little”anymore, I am so excited to see what the future holds for my girl. Janna is always setting goals, and she just started a new list of “life goals” that already almost fills a page. Whatever the future holds for my sweet Janna, I know she will give it her all and do it with a smile on her face. 

Happy birthday, Janna! You are so loved. ❤️
I really needed today. This month has been very bu I really needed today. This month has been very busy, and an e-learning/snow day was much appreciated by everyone in my house. Joseph, Janna, and I had so much fun playing in the snow this afternoon. Here are a few pictures of our adventures. (Janna is wearing a coat my mom made for me nearly 40 years ago.)
I have mixed emotions when I reflect on all that h I have mixed emotions when I reflect on all that has happened in 2020. There have been so many negatives for so many people. I can’t say it has all been positive for me either. However, there are some things that have happened in 2020 for which I am so grateful. 
.
The main thing I am grateful for is the extra time I was able to spend with my kids. We had so much fun during quarantine and this summer. I know this wasn’t the case for everyone, but I do not regret the days when we had nothing planned and could just have fun together. Whether it was walking in the woods, playing games, watching a movie together, or even doing chores, I never once heard an “I’m bored.” 🙂 
.
In addition to the gift of more time together, I am also grateful for all of the milestones we have celebrated this year. In June, my parents celebrated their 50th anniversary, and then we had four milestone birthdays. Julia turned 21, James turned 18, Joshua turned 16, and Joseph turned 13. (Janna felt left out, so we told her that her birthday was special because it was her last birthday in single digits.) Also, today marks 25 years that JT and I have been married. 
.
While I won’t be sorry to see 2020 go, and I hope
and pray 2021 is better for so many people who are hurting right now, I don’t ever want to forget the good times we had this year. 
.
P.S. I took all of these pictures over fall break.
The girls and I recorded our parts for our virtual The girls and I recorded our parts for our virtual church service yesterday, and I couldn’t resist getting a picture with them in front of this beautiful Christmas tree. ❤️
James has been playing school basketball since he James has been playing school basketball since he was in the fourth grade. Tonight he and his fellow Seniors  were recognized at their game, and I just can’t believe James is this old. 
.
Normally, Senior Night is the last game of the season. However,  because everything in the world seems so uncertain right now, we wanted to make sure the boys got a chance to be recognized. We wanted something “normal” for them. I am thankful James and his teammates not only got recognized but also won their game. 
.
P.S. We had our masks on at all times other than when we took pictures.
We have another teenager in the house! Joseph is t We have another teenager in the house! Joseph is turning 13 today, and it just doesn’t seem possible. The beautiful baby boy who was placed in my arms on a cold and foggy day in December is still my “little” guy. However, after looking at this picture of the two of us, I don’t think he will be shorter than me for long. Joseph is still my shy guy, but he is also sweet, loving, kind, and just an all around good kid. We also lovingly refer to him as the cat whisperer because the kittens and cats follow him around like puppies. 🙂 It has been so much fun to have Joseph at school with me this year now that he is in junior high, and I am so thankful that I get to be his mama. Happy birthday, Joseph! ❤️
2020 has been challenging in so many ways. One of 2020 has been challenging in so many ways. One of those challenges was self-inflicted. 🙂 I just finished my fourth master’s level course of 2020 through Ball State, and I passed the high ability licensure exam last Thursday. This means that I will soon have high ability added to my teaching license. 
.
When I signed up to take my first class in January, I had no idea what 2020 was going to entail. Teaching in a pandemic isn’t for the faint of heart. Taking classes and caring for five kids while teaching in a pandemic has allowed me to see what I am really made of. I don’t mean to brag, but I am pretty happy that I received straight A’s. Beyond that, I learned so much, and I am grateful for this opportunity even though I felt stretched to my limits some days. 
.
Yes, 2020 has been challenging, but I have been blessed with more time with my family, knowledge gained, and challenges met and overcome.
I almost forgot to post this here. 🎂 Joshua is I almost forgot to post this here. 
🎂
Joshua is 16 years old today. It doesn’t seem possible that my little pip squeak of a baby boy is now about 6’4”. Joshua is now the tallest of the family, and I’m not sure he is done growing. There hasn’t been a dull moment since Joshua arrived, and I wouldn’t want it any other way. He is a fun-loving, hard-working, kind-hearted, and intelligent young man. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for him. I am so thankful God thought I was up to the task of being Joshua’s mama. ❤️
My little 7 pound 20 inch baby boy, who didn’t c My little 7 pound 20 inch baby boy, who didn’t cry as soon as he was born but first looked around to see what was going on in the world, is now a 6’2” handsome man. I truly never thought the years would go by so quickly, but here we are. James is 18 today. 

There are so many words I could use to describe James: hardworking, dedicated, persevering, intelligent, funny, curious, kindhearted, dependable, respectful, and helpful. I could also expound upon his accomplishments, and I could tell you how great he is. However, I don’t love James for what he has accomplished but simply because he is my son.

I have been so blessed to be James’s mom, and I thank God every day for entrusting him into my care. I don’t know what the future will hold for him, but I know he will do great things. 

For anyone reading this who is struggling with a tantrum throwing toddler, a strong-willed child, and/or a child who questions everything, I would like to encourage you. Look for the positive qualities your child possesses such as perseverance, dedication, and curiosity and build upon that. I will never regret the hard days of parenting because my prayers and hard work have paid off. Helping James reach his full potential and keep those qualities without breaking his spirit has been worth the effort.

Happy Birthday, James!

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